AL Does Hawaii!

I'm not trying to complain...woe is me, but Al Dunning just returned from doing a series of clinics on several of the Hawaiian islands. While Erin and I definitely have fun on our photo shoots, we've yet to have an assignment out of the continental U.S. (I'm still hoping for the European reining finals in Italy or Germany.) Thought we'd share a few pics of Al in action in the tropics.

Not only would it be amazing to participate in a clinic with Al, but I'm so envious of where these people get to ride! I'm sure a lot of you ride in pretty parts of the country, and while I'd never miss a second on my horse here, it would be fabulous to ride outside the Dallas concrete jungle every once in awhile. Anyone taken a fabulous clinic in some exotic (or semi-exotic) locale? Or, could you recommend one to me?

Check out these pics of Al "in his Hawaiian element...

DON'T FORGET: Enter for your chance to win a personal day of instruction with world champion trainer and Team H&R member Al Dunning at his Almosta Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona! You can bring your own horse or ride one of his. For more information and to enter, go to HorseandRider.com. [BTW: You can also enter to win a custom hat from J.W. Brooks, a Professional's Choice goody package, and an 8-month supply of LubriSyn Joint Supplement!]

Horse & Rider Resource for Rider Fitness and Weight-loss

Just a quick note to everyone, y'all really need to zip on over to Sandy Denarski's new fitness blog. No matter what state of physical fitness you're currently in, Sandy's blog is sure to motivate you to either adopt or maintain a healthly lifestyle.

Sandy is proof that it's never too late to make a change, and her horses represent the freedom she has found in her new life. How inspiring!!!

You can read her first post and jump in on the discussion here. Also, check out Sandy's 2006 Horse & Rider article on weight-loss and her list of weight-loss resources on Equisearch.com

Traveling Tackroom

I've been fighting the temptation for a while now, but finally gave in. I just had to sneak a snapshot of my coworker Alana's storage area of her SUV. Now, I do tease her quite a bit about this jumble of tack and grooming supplies that's constantly piled up in her car, but I doubt she's the only one. She boards her horse away from home and needs her horsey things with her whenever she has time to swing by the barn. It also comes in handy because we have a veritable stockroom of supplies for impromptu photo shoots!

I never quite realized just how much stuff was packed in here, until Alana's vehicle got a flat tire on the way back from a photo shoot, and we had to remove all the contents on the side of the interstate in a search for the tire jack...

Anyone else load of their ride with horse goods like Alana?